Life After You
by XspriteyX
Summary: Sasuke left years ago cutting himself off from everyone, even the love of his life, now he's finally running back to Sakura realising he made a mistake but is it all ready too late?


**OK this one shot has been done in the style of Travelling soldier and as we know I own neither Daughtry's song lyrics or Naruto characters, song lyrics are in bold italics, thoughts are in italics. Please enjoy! **

_**Ten miles from town and I just broke down**_

_**Spittin' out smoke on the side of the road**_

_**I'm out here alone just tryin' to get home**_

_**To tell you I was wrong but you already know**_

Sasuke winced holding his arm as he stood up from the snow, his motorbike had veered off after hitting a patch of black ice and he'd managed to leap clear before it smacked into a tree.

Cold, shaken and littered in small cuts and scrapes Sasuke shuffled towards the smoking bike finding the front bent inwards and the fender crushed like a can of coke.

Well fuck.

Carefully he peeled off his black leather jacket to examine his left arm, no bones were sticking out so the tumble must have dislocated shoulder, gritting is teeth he muttered profanities under his breath as he painfully shoved the joint back into place. The burning ache was nothing compared to the wound in his chest, this one wasn't physical but it sure felt like it.

Pulling on his jacket to fend off the winter winds he clenched a hand on his jeans gathering himself together looking down the dark path in determination.

After a few shallow breaths he started running ahead as fast as he could manage even though every step stung, and the chilly air bit into his face.

_**Believe me I won't stop at nothin'**_

_**To see you so I've started runnin'**_

Sakura quietly washed the dishes not making a sound despite the fact her home felt empty, she played no music, didn't hum, just tucked away the plates reflecting on the past. Remembering happier occasions when Sasuke had been here.

It had all started off as a fairytale going to the same Infant school, his best friend Naruto developing a kiddy crush on her so they finally had an excuse to talk, them becoming firm friends in high school, Naruto growing up and going out with Hinata Hyuuga, Sasuke asking her out before graduation.

He was different then, smiled more, laughed, went out of his way to show Sakura he loved her without being obvious about it.

It had all changed when Sasuke discovered his older brother Itachi who had murdered their parents was still alive, he grew distant, he brooded by himself and one day he just... left.

Not even eighteen and he took off without a word to anyone except Sakura and she never liked to remember that night.

Naruto had been furious before he left to search he promised Sakura he'd find him and drag the bastard back even if he had to bust every bone in his body, that finally burst the damn and Sakura had cried herself dry after which she'd gone numb to everything.

After a few months she'd began to slowly move on with her life, even asking Naruto to forget his promise, she didn't want his life ruined because of her. He wouldn't stop looking but promised he'd also carry on with his own life.

Now here they where six years later, Naruto married Hinata and had bought a house a few streets away from Sakura, and Sakura worked in the local library for a few hours during the week and the rest she cared for her and Sasuke's son.

Sakura had been in the early stages of pregnancy before Sasuke changed and after he'd left she couldn't bear to have nothing left in her life, so she'd devoted her time to bringing him up.

Him being their gorgeous baby boy Sousuke Uchiha.

Sakura softly opened his door and looked in his room glad that the six year old was actually in bed this time not up reading comic books like the last dozen times she'd caught him. He had Sasuke's raven locks and her own green eyes.

He was her own personal treasure.

Gently she tucked the covers over him where they had come off with him wriggling in his sleep, she kissed his forehead and was about to leave when she noticed something clutched in his hand. Sakura picked it up revealing it to be a photo of her and Sasuke together when they were sixteen, Naruto had taken the picture as a memento.

She looked so young with long hair and innocent eyes smiling with Sasuke beside her arm around her shoulders smirking more than smiling.

Her eyes misted over as she sat the picture on Sousuke's beside table.

_**All that I'm after is a life full of laughter**_

_**As long as I'm laughin' with you**_

_**I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after**_

_**After the life we've been through**_

_**'Cause I know there's no life after you**_

Sasuke felt his lungs burn like they were on fire, beads of sweat poured down his head but it didn't matter he kept running. Ever since he'd left to join Orochimaru's gang he'd made nothing but a series of mistakes, or as he thought _"An epic clusterfuck." _

Everything had gone wrong, he'd left the one time and place he'd felt happiness to avenge his parents only to enter a ring of thugs, thieves, killers and people you wouldn't want to meet even if you had an angel backing you up.

Orochimaru had tested an experimental drug on him with his consent that had left him mentally unstable for three months during which that time he'd killed, tortured and done unspeakable things to more people than he dared to think about..

At the time he didn't care because he was getting power, recognition and he liked it. He thought he'd feel free once he killed his brother, boy was he wrong. He pushed himself harder running as fast as he could.

_**Last time we talked, the night that I walked**_

_**Burns like an iron in the back of my mind**_

_**I must've been high to say you and I**_

_**Weren't meant to be and just wastin' my time**_

Sakura sat in the living room looking at her reflection in her tea. Sometimes she didn't recognise the woman with short pink hair and tired green eyes looking back but then again you mature fast when raising a child so they say. She glanced at the clock on the wall, it was twenty past eleven pm, the time Sasuke had told he was leaving.

"_I don't need you. You'll only slow me down." Sasuke said coldly. _

_Sakura stared at his tense shoulders unable to understand "W-what are you saying?" _

_Sasuke snorted "Don't you get it Haruno? What we had was fun but I have to avenge my family you'll never understand that this is something I have to do." _

_Sakura clenched a hand on her chest "What are you talking about? Whatever it is I'll help you! I'll go with you! I LOVE YOU!" _

_Sasuke glared at her over his shoulder "Well I don't. I'm wasting time trying to explain myself to you. We're through." _

With that he walked out the door and that was the last time Sakura seen him.

_**Oh, why did I ever doubt you?**_

_**You know I would die here without you**_

Sasuke stumbled catching himself barely on a lamp post his shoulder hurt even more and something warm was trickling down his forehead, he swiped a hand across thinking he was just sweating slightly to find his fingers stained slightly red afterwards.

Shit.

He did not need to have a concussion right now. How could he not have noticed he smacked his head when his bike crashed?

Then again he'd discovered many times the amazing thing called adrenaline when in situations like that, still even after all the times he'd gotten hurt he'd never mastered the art of patching himself up properly without leaving a scar.

Sakura had been training in medicine and she'd been good at it. He wondered if she was a doctor now.

"_Sasuke hold still!" _

"_OW!" _

"_Well it wouldn't hurt if you'd stop moving!" _

"_This wasn't my fault anyway." _

_Sakura raised an eyebrow as she applied more disinfectant on the cut above his eye "So you're saying the door got mad and moved in your path to cut you?" _

_Sasuke humphed crossing his arms "Well if the idiot hadn't left his shoes in the way I wouldn't have tripped." He winced as Sakura applied more pressure. _

_Naruto grinning on the sofa said "I don't care how cross or moody you get I still find it funny that big bad Sasuke Uchiha was taken out by a door." _

_Sakura flung his shoe into his face effortlessly, Naruto fell back clutching face "Owwww! Sakura chan!" _

_Sasuke smirked at Naruto's pain, until Sakura reminded him of his own "Ow!" _

Steadying himself once more Sasuke grit his teeth and carried on forwards.

_**All that I'm after is a life full of laughter**_

_**As long as I'm laughin' with you**_

_**I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after**_

_**After the life we've been through**_

_**'Cause I know there's no life after you**_

Sakura was in a dressing gown now making a cup of tea before going to bed when loud knocking came from her door. _"That was weird."_ she thought Naruto and Hinata were on a romantic weekend away and they never usually came over this late anyway unless it was an emergency.

Sitting her cup down she went to the door opening it a crack "Hello? Who's the-" She stopped short unable to believe her eyes. It was impossible. Not after all these years and heartache was Sasuke Uchiha riddled with cuts that bled slightly and holding his left shoulder leaning against her doorway.

She clutched the door handle tightly "I'm sorry you have the wrong address."

She tried to shut the door but his foot stopped it "Sakura wait please!"

Her throat clenched after all this time his voice was just as she remembered, her eyes watered involuntarily whilst a part of her wanted to throw her arms around him there was stronger part that cruelly reminded her he took her for granted and ripped her heart out without remorse. "Give me a good reason why I should?"

_**You and I, right or wrong, there's no other one**_

_**After this time I spent alone**_

_**It's hard to believe that a man with sight could be so blind**_

_**Thinkin' 'bout the better times, must've been outta my mind**_

_**So I'm runnin' back to tell you**_

He was here. He'd finally made it back to where he once belonged, he was surprised how much Sakura had changed, how tired she'd looked. He knew inside it was his fault she'd aged so much in such a short time. He was unable to covey all he wanted to say, typical now he was finally here he was tongue tied.

He'd barely stopped her from slamming the door in his face he knew if wanted to have a chance of an apology the next sentence better be good. "Sakura I... I'm so sorry."

He watched her face contort in anger even as her eyes cried "You're sorry? Sorry! Well so am I Sasuke. I don't know where you've been, what you've done or if you'd even been alive all this time! You walked out of my life, ALL our lives intent on cutting all ties with everyone who cares about you then you come back here like a dog with it's tail between its legs and injured!"

He knew he deserved it, every word was true and he didn't bother defending his actions. "I know. I'm sorry."

She hissed "Is that all you can say? Sorry, sorry, sorry? Sometimes sorry isn't good enough."

He bowed his head "Sorry."

Sakura was probably going to slam the door hard enough to break his foot when a young voice that sounded tired asked "Mummy what's goin' on?"

Sasuke's head shot up, mummy? Sakura had a child? That meant she'd moved on, she'd forgotten him.

The best thing he'd had in his life didn't need him any more.

_**All that I'm after is a life full of laughter**_

_**Without you God knows what I'd do, yeah**_

Sakura wiped her tears away before turning back and saying to Sousuke seriously "Honey go back to bed everything's fine."

She whispered harshly to Sasuke "Leave."

Sasuke looked defeated "You have a son?"

Sakura frowned "Yes."

Then realised as much as she wanted to it wasn't fair to keep Sasuke from meeting his son, but she didn't want Sousuke to get attached when Sasuke would probably leave again. Not noticing his distraught expression Sakura sighed "Would you like to come in and meet him?"

Sasuke nodded slightly, she stepped aside allowing him.

_**All that I'm after is a life full of laughter**_

_**As long as I'm laughin' with you**_

_**I'm thinkin' 'bout all that still matters is love ever after**_

_**After the life we've been through, yeah**_

_**Know there's no life after you**_

Sasuke stared in surprise at the boy before him, he looked almost exactly like Sasuke had at that age with the exception of Sakura's emerald eyes shining through. The boy studied his battered appearance before lighting up in the biggest smile "Daddy!"

Sasuke froze, daddy?

Didn't the boy have another father?

He looked at Sakura for confirmation and she nodded.

A son. He had a son. A son he'd neglected for six years.

Yet another screw up to add to his list.

He crouched in front of the boy "I'm Sasuke Uchiha who are you?"

The boy grinned revealing a gap in his teeth "I'm Sousuke Uchiha daddy, mummy said you had to go away for a long time and wasn't sure if you'd come back. I said you would and I was right! See mummy daddy did come back!"

Sakura smiled slightly "Yes he did."

Sousuke tugged Sasuke's arm "Come on I wanna show you my room!"

Sasuke allowed the hyper child to drag him upstairs and show his favourite toys and books until the boy got tired and fell asleep on his knee.

Sasuke carefully tucked him into bed unable to believe he actually had a son.

He went downstairs finding Sakura waiting with a first aid kit and a cup of tea she said "Now you're here I don't want you dripping any more blood on my carpet no matter how cool I bet Sousuke found you looking like you just got out of a gang war I'm cleaning you up."

He silently accepted her treatment wondering what to say, finally settling on "He's a nice kid."

Sakura smiled "Yeah he is. He reminds me of you at that age."

Sasuke winced as rubbing alcohol was rubbed on his cuts "Thank you for letting me meet him."

Sakura sighed "I shouldn't have really. He's going to be so disappointed when he knows he can't keep you."

Sasuke gently placed a hand on hers whilst looking her in the eyes "He doesn't have to loose me again if he doesn't want to, and neither do you."

Sakura swallowed heavily "How can I believe you'd stay this time?"

Sasuke whispered softly "You'd just have to trust me."

Sakura looked at the floor for a few moments obviously thinking hard about whether it was worth them giving their relationship another try, she looked at his face searching for any tell tale sings he could be lying then after finding what she was looking for gently kissed his cheek "OK. I'll trust you. But I swear if you leave again like that I'll castrate you."

Sasuke rubbed a thumb over her hand "I'll hold you too that promise."

Both of them knew the road ahead was going to be rough trying to move past old hurts, and hard adjusting to a new life together but still for the first time in years both of them truly smiled.

_**Know there's no life after you**_

_**Know there's no life after you**_

_**Know there's no life after you**_

_**Know there's no life after you**_

_**Know there's no life after you**_

_**Know there's no life after you**_

_**Know there's no life after you, yeah**_


End file.
